Los Angeles Angels' Raul Ibanez makes a catch on a ball hit by Texas Rangers' Dan Robertson during the ninth inning of a baseball game on Sunday, May 4, 2014, in Anaheim, Calif. The Rangers won 14-3. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Angels' Albert Pujols, right, falls to the ground as Texas Rangers catcher J.P. Arencibia checks on him after being hit in the head with a pitch thrown by starting pitcher Yu Darvish, of Japan, during the fifth inning of a baseball game, Sunday, May 4, 2014, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

The calendar turned to May this week and the Angels remained a competitive baseball team. Around here, that’s a sign of progress, a cause for optimism.

Even a lopsided 14-3 loss to the Texas Rangers on Sunday could only drop the Angels to 15-15, 3 1/2 games behind the Oakland A’s for first place in the American League West and 1 1/2 behind second-place Texas. It was the team’s first loss by more than three runs since April 2 and their most lopsided of the season.

The game also brought a familiar reminder: The Angels will only go as far as their pitching staff takes them.

Starter Tyler Skaggs (2-1) allowed eight hits and six runs — all earned — in 2 2/3 innings. It was the shortest start of his major-league career.

“I don’t think anything went wrong,” Skaggs said. “They were hitting the pitches I was throwing. They made their adjustments and had a good game plan. Started off the game good. I fell behind in counts. It’s easy to hit when (the count) is 2-0, 2-1.”

The Angels weren’t helpless against a familiar nemesis, Texas Rangers starter Yu Darvish, but they never led either.

Erick Aybar went 3 for 5 and fell a triple short of the cycle. C.J. Cron went 2 for 4 in his second major-league game. Albert Pujols hit his 10th home run of the season — second in the major leagues and the 502nd of his career — in the first inning.

Darvish struggled early but finished with nine strikeouts against one walk in 6 1/3 innings. He allowed seven hits and three runs.

“He owns us, pretty much,” Pujols said of Darvish, who’s 5-1 all-time against the Angels. “We have to figure out next time how to beat him. That’s how he’s been pitching the last three years I’ve been here. He was being pretty aggressive in the strike zone and he mixed his pitches pretty well.”

The Rangers sent eight men to the plate and scored three runs in the first inning against Skaggs. In the bottom of the inning, Darvish (2-1) was living dangerously over the middle of the plate and the Angels took advantage.

Aybar drove a home run to right field in the Angels’ first at-bat, the first leadoff home run ever for the 30-year-old shortstop. Two batters later, Pujols’ solo home run brought the Angels within 3-2.

While Darvish quickly found his groove, Skaggs did not.

Six Rangers batted in the second inning and two scored, putting the Angels in a 5-2 hole. After Skaggs allowed a solo home run to J.P. Arencibia in the third inning and walked the next two batters — one intentionally — Angels manager Mike Scioscia decided he’d seen enough.

“The two-seamer he had when he’s been going well — he’s really been pitching well for us — didn’t appear,” Scioscia said of Skaggs. “It did at times but not consistently. The ball was up a bit. I just think the number of pitches, commanding the counts, everything that Tyler’s been good at, just wasn’t there tonight.”

The 22-year-old left-hander saw his earned-run average rise from 3.34 to 4.54. At least he had some sympathy in the bullpen.

Kevin Jepsen’s ERA took a hit after he allowed three runs in 1 1/3 innings. Angels reliever Nick Maronde allowed five more runs in the ninth inning, but those were unearned because right fielder Collin Cowgill lost a fly ball in the sun for a two-base error.

The game was lost much earlier.

Jepsen surrendered a three-run home run to Michael Choice in the fourth inning that gave Texas a 9-2 lead. Of Jepsen’s 36 pitches, only 17 were strikes.

The seven-run deficit against Darvish was too much for the Angels — or probably any team — to overcome.

“I don’t think there’s anything but ‘we’re going to turn the page on this one’ to say about it,” Scioscia said.

The Angels dropped two of three in the series, including a 5-2 loss Friday.

Five seems to be the Angels’ magic number: They’re 1-10 when allowing five or more runs this season, 13-4 when allowing four or fewer.

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